A person was struck and killed by a Caltrain in Palo Alto on Wednesday night, halting trains in both directions and snarling service in the South Bay during the evening commute.

The fatality was reported on the southbound tracks near the Charleston Road grade crossing just before 6 p.m., Caltrain officials and Palo Alto police said.

The victim, an unidentified male, was struck by southbound train No. 264.

A Caltrain spokeswoman said crews were working to restore full service in time for crowds getting out of Wednesday night’s Giants playoff game. Though both tracks were estimated to open by 9 p.m., delays were expected to last well into the night.

Earlier, authorities stopped trains in both directions and advised commuters to find alternate transportation in the South Bay.

The incident marked the seventh fatality on Caltrain tracks this year, a Caltrain spokeswoman said. The agency averages 14 deaths a year, the vast majority of which are eventually ruled to be suicides.

Caltrain officials said the Valley Transportation Authority would honor Caltrain tickets Wednesday night. They said they were also working to take care of stranded passengers and to preserve northbound service north of Mountain View.

Around 7:15 p.m. trains began moving through the area, but were restricted to 10 mph and were only using a single track near the accident scene.